It Came Upon a Midnight Clear
by AllusionToAnIllusion
Summary: She hadn't expected it, hadn't known that this would be the night. She wasn't even sure what led to it, she only knew that the feel of his lips on hers felt far too right to deny herself any longer.


**In the spirit of Christmas I'm giving out little presents to those who want them. If you want to you can PM me with the plot of a one-shot or drabble you'd like to see written and I'll write it. I've been wanting to say thank you to all of my wonderful readers and the only thing I'm decent at is writing so I'm going to give you stories. So if you want one and have even the most basic of plots, or even just a concept, don't hesitate for a moment to message me. I'll do my best to write whatever you dream up.**

**Tansypool, I've wrapped th****is story and set it under your virtual Christmas tree. I really hope you like it. **

**Alright, so this is set about two years from now. And we're going to pretend that this is their first kiss because this is called fiction for a reason. The title comes from a Christmas carol called It Came Upon a Midnight Clear. **

**Disclaimer: Don't own _Castle_ or _It Came Upon a Midnight Clear_. If I owned either I'd be pretty darn rich. **

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If anyone ever asked she'd blame the fact that she didn't push him away on the alcohol, even if she had only had two drinks. Letting Lanie and the boys lure her under the mistletoe next to him, that would be attributed to the slight buzz she'd felt. But her kissing him back, she wasn't sure what to blame that on. If anybody ever brought it up then she'd immediately say it was just the alcohol raging through her system. But truthfully, it wasn't the alcohol that was causing her knees to go weak and her mind to go blank. And her wrapping her arms around his neck was in no way connected to how many drinks she'd had.

It was _him_. The faint scent of aftershave and cinnamon mixing together was intoxicating. The taste of sugar cookies on his lips, his tongue, was maddening. Just the whisper of his lips on hers and she'd lost all control, pressing her mouth firmly to his. Their mouths danced to the soft sound of Christmas music playing in the background. A slow, sensual, and oh so very wonderful dance that left her unable to resist anymore; the suppressed feelings running wild within her.

She hadn't intended for this to happen. If she had known this would happen she never would've shown up to his Christmas party tonight. She would've run, stayed far away from his apartment no matter how much he whined. She would have been out the door in two seconds when she saw the boys beckoning her over and Lanie leading Castle over to same spot, smug smiles on all of their faces. But now she wondered how the hell she could've run from something that felt so good for so long.

And, oh god, did it feel good. But it felt more than just good; it felt right. Against her better judgment the intimate embrace made her feel like this was where she was supposed to be, as if he was her missing piece. She felt his hand come to rest on her cheek while the other stayed put on her hip, holding her impossibly close. Her fingers began playing with the hair on the back of his neck in response. She could feel him smile against her lips when she lightly trailed her fingertips down his neck, making delightful shivers run through his body.

Somewhere in the distance she heard a sound that vaguely resembled the clearing of a throat. But, in a very non-Kate Beckett like fashion, she didn't pull away from him. In fact, he was the one to pull away. He took a step back and let his hand fall from her cheek to his side. Opening her eyes at immediate absence of warmth she found that he was staring right at her. She held his gaze, apprehensive blue holding questioning green. Her breathing was nowhere near normal, her heart rate even farther from an acceptable pace. And it was only when he flicked his eyes towards his shoulders did she realize that her arms were still wrapped around his neck. She felt heat creep up her neck and turn her cheeks a rosy color as she disentangled herself from him, taking a small step back and focusing on the grain of the hardwood floor beneath her feet.

"Wow, didn't expect that. Can't say I'm not pleased though." Lanie's amused voice pierced the silence and she immediately whipped her head around to come face to face with her team, all of them staring at her and Castle with wide eyes and open mouths. She noticed Martha's head peeking out from the kitchen and was sure that her face was now a very unattractive shade of beet red.

"Jeez, you two really went at it." She wished she could just disappear as Esposito raised an eyebrow at her, his and his partner's mouths slowly forming knowing smirks. She shot him a glare and turned her eyes back to Castle's. The world melted away all over again the moment his blue depths connected with her green ones, feeling her mouth go dry at the passion burning just beneath the surface. If she hadn't spent the last five years reading him just as much as he read her she might've missed it. But after half a decade of learning about him, of longing for him, it was all too apparent.

Five years of unresolved tension and feelings sizzling under the surface. Five years of looks full of want and emotions she didn't want to admit were there even now. Five goddamn years of holding herself back and forcing herself to believe she couldn't have him. But if she couldn't have him then that kiss was the most exquisite torture she'd ever submitted herself to. She couldn't go back to not being able to touch him, not being able to show what they both knew was there. So, after years of building it up, she tore the delusion that he could never be hers down. As she ripped the mental barrier down she was surprised to find that it was already mostly gone, gaping holes covering each inch. She smiled to herself, eliciting a confused look from the man standing across from her, as she realized he'd gotten past her defenses long before she'd decided to let him.

"Merry Christmas, Castle." She leaned forward, let her lips lightly graze his ear and whispered the words just as she had done at the end of their first case, satisfied when she felt him shiver under her touch. Sending him one last smirk she sauntered towards the kitchen, making sure to add extra emphasis to the swaying of her hips. She knew him well enough to know exactly what his face would look like and she chuckled at the image. Her quiet laughter died down and she raised an eyebrow when she heard his footsteps behind her, loyally following just like he always did.

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**Once again, I really hope you like this, Tansypool. Though there are parts that I'm not so sure about myself. **

**And lastly, please review. Consider it a Christmas present. Hanukkah present? Kwanzaa? **


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